I still remember the day I landed in Finland as an international student. It was the day I left my family. Only one boy with some luggage and a lot of hope. I was little bit confused on that day because its new city, new language and new culture. It took me a lot of time to adopt because the culture of Finland is totally different from my own country.
As my degree is in tourism I want to explore every part of the world. Finland my first destination after leaving my home!
When I came in Helsinki airport it was too much snow everywhere. Its like everything was wearing a white blanket. It was freezing cold. When I was coming from Helsinki to Pori it was sunny though! The people around me in the bus were quiet like for two hours no one just said anything, it was literally pin drop silence. At that time I realized that I heard that the Finns don’t speak too much. This was really awkward for me.
Before coming to Finland I was expecting that it will be a winter wonderland with snow, cozy vibes and beautiful views. But actually winters are longer and with darkness and cold. Sometimes it started feeling depressing because of less sunlight during the days. No doubt it is beautiful but not always easy to live in.
For students cost of living matters a lot. For me it was expected that living cost in Europe is comfortable and manageable. Maybe some of you disagree, but Finland is expensive, it is a bitter truth. I have seen a lot of students struggle with budgeting. Being close to nature in Finland costs me, but at least I am enjoying it now! I feel like there is something natural in the environment of Finland.
I had very high expectations for university in Finland, but you cannot believe when I actually started studying here: my university exceeded all of them, I did not expect it to be this good! The teachers are supportive the infrastructure is modern and the library and facilities are excellent. Overall, everything is much better.
I am a gym freak and there is a well maintained gym, also in universities a lot of sport activities and contests are always going, and universities are very supportive for students as they improve communication skills.
Whenever I go for a walk I always see this beautiful scenery. I think the Finns are very lucky they can find nature everywhere. Because Finland is part of nature you will always feel pure natural air. This is the beauty of Finland. You can drink tap water. You can pick berries. There are more lakes in Finland than any other country may have. And Finland is the country that has more saunas than houses.
Whenever I feel depressed or lazy I usually go to this site just near to our house. I just stand and enjoy sun in chill weather.
In short, Finland is a mixture of snow, silence, joy and surprises. This is the beauty of this country. Being a student here is really a golden opportunity for me!
Text and pictures: Sufiyan Saleem, International Tourism Management student